Teen Creates Animal Activist Mobile Game

Westport, CT high school student Thomas Skylar recently launched mobile game “Paintball Hero” through gaming company Trouble Technologies. Skylar created the game—available for both iPhone and Android devices—in collaboration with peta2, the youth outreach arm of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). In the game, players rescue animals from circuses, factory farms, and rainforests, and points are awarded based on the number of animals a player saves—which include cows, chickens, lions, alligators, and an occasional unicorn. Skylar became a vegetarian when he was five years old and has since transitioned to veganism. Last year, Skylar created a similar game, “Saviors”—which garnered major support from the likes of Eating Animals author Jonathan Safran Foer. “Even if 100 people play it, and only one decides to be vegan,” Skylar said of his first game, “that’s worth it.” Skylar is currently working on a new game for PETA. A majority of the profits generated by Paintball Hero will be donated to peta2 to support its efforts to end animal exploitation.